Desperate hunt for a man-eating leopard after killing 3 children while sending 50 men to capture or kill beasts

A desperate hunt for a man-eating leopard that has so far killed three children in India is underway.

About 50 hunters were sent into the jungle to track down and either kill or capture the beast that roams Baramulla in northern Kashmir.

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Snipers are looking for the big cat, whose attacks cause the villagers to panic.

Footage obtained by The Sun Online appears to show the animal roaming near a roadside as the hunt for the leopard continues.

The animal can be seen in the distance on a hilltop poking through the undergrowth near the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad National Highway.

Another video – far too graphic to show – shows the aftermath of the leopard’s attack on Rutba Manzoor, 8, who became the leopard’s third victim.

Crowds gather as her body is wrapped in a blanket after being attacked, dragged away and partially eaten by the monster.

Her family found her in a pool of blood after she disappeared from near her home in Bantangi, Boniyar on Tuesday.

And their deaths followed the killings of Shahid Ahmed, 12, last Sunday and Muneer Ahmad, 15, last Saturday.

Both sustained injuries from wild animal attacks, which were sent into the forest to graze livestock.

The killing of Rutba has prompted locals to stage protests to call for action and prevent further attacks in the future.

The local administration advised the public not to let their children go into the nearby forest alone.

And the school children were also asked not to go to school until after 9 a.m. in order to avoid such incidents in public.

Meanwhile, wildlife officials have launched a massive hunt to either capture or eliminate the predator.

Several traps have been set in different areas in Boniyar.

The wildlife department has sought the assistance of local police and the Forest Protection Force (FPF).

Rashid Naqash, regional game warden, told local media the animal was “unpredictable” – and warned the leopard could strike “anytime, anywhere”.